1986 Edition

Agriculture

rice, corn, barley, wheat, potatoes, fruit, spices

Airfields

2 total; 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Area

75km Lingthi Dzong THIMPHU * " Paro Dzong Phunchholinfl Trad!1 Stf regional map VIII Land 46,620 km2; the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined; 70% forest; 15% agricultural; 15% desert, waste, urban

Branches

appointed ministers; 150-member indirectly elected National Assembly consisting of 1 10 village elders or heads of family, 10 monastic representatives, and 30 senior government administrators

Royal Bhutan Army

Budget

total receipts, $59. 168 million; expenditures, $66.861 million (FY85/86 est.)

Capital

Thimphu; Paro (administrative capital)

Civil air

no major transport aircraft; in February 1983 Druk Air began direct flights between Paro and Calcutta

Communists

no overt Communist presence

Elections

popular elections on village level held every three years

Electric power

15,720 kW capacity (1985); 9 million kWh produced (1985), 6 kWh per capita

Ethnic divisions

60% Bhote, 25% ethnic Nepalese, 15% indigenous or migrant tribes

Exports

$15.1 million (FY84/85); agricultural and forestry products, coal

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March Communications

GDP

$300 million (FY84/85), $250 per capita; 6.7% real GDP growth in FY84/85

Government leader

Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK, King (since 1974)

Highways

1,304 km total; 418 km surfaced, 515 km improved, 371 km unimproved earth

Imports

total imports $69.4 million (FY84/85); imports from India $61.0 million (FY84/85); textiles, cereals, vehicles, fuels, machinery

Infant mortality rate

162/1,000(1983)

Labor force

95% agriculture, 1% industry and commerce (1983); massive lack of skilled labor Government

Land boundaries

about 870 km People

Language

Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects — most widely spoken dialect is Dzongkha (official); Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects

Legal system

based on Indian law and English common law; in 1907 the monarch assumed full power — no written constitution or bill of rights; in 1968-69 a separate judiciary that provided for local, district, and national courts with appellate jurisdiction was established; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Life expectancy

43

Literacy

5%

Major industries

cement, chemical products, mining, distilling, food processing, handicrafts

Major trade partner

India

Member of

ADB, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IMF, NAM, SAARC, UNESCO, UPU, UN, WHO Economy

Military manpower

males 15-49, 357,000; 192,000 fit for military service; about 17,000 reach military age (18) annually

Monetary conversion rate

both ngultrums and Indian rupees are legal tender; 12.882 ngultrums=12.882 Indian rupees=US$l (October 1985)

National holiday

17 December

Nationality

noun — Bhutanese (sing., pi.); adjective — Bhutanese

Natural resources

timber, hydroelectric power

Official name

Kingdom of Bhutan

Other political or pressure groups

Buddhist clergy, Indian merchant community, ethnic Nepalese organizations

Political parties

no legal parties

Political subdivisions

4 regions (east, central, west, south), further divided into 18 districts

Population

1,446,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate 2.0%

Religion

75% Lamaistic Buddhism, 25% Indianand Nepalese-influenced Hinduism

Suffrage

each family has one vote

Supply

dependent on India

Telecommunications

facilities inadequate; 1,300 telephones (0.1 per lOOpopl.); 11,000 est. radio sets; no TV sets; 20 AM stations; no TV stations Defense Forces

Type

monarchy; special treaty relationship with India